Chapter 12: Fake Hunter
Amanda's POV
Tonight's Raw is all about a man of gold . . .
No . . . tonight is not 'Goldust Appreciation Night'. If there was, Cody would probably never live it down and probably crawl into a hole somewhere.
And sadly, it wasn't 'Goldberg Appreciation Night' either. I would have so loved to see Bill spear at least one more foe in the ring, but alas, that probably isn't going to happen.
Tonight is the night of the annual Slammy Awards. Sadly, I'm not up for Diva of the Year this year. But . . . I am happy for Randy. He's nominated for Superstar of the Year along with John, Daniel, Punk, Show, and weirdly, Lesnar. He's nominated, yet he's only been in like two matches this whole year . . . weird. I'm betting on Randy, but who knows what'll happen. Daniel has had one hell of a year this year . . .
"Amanda!"
I'm instantly pulled out of my thoughts when I hear my name called and I turn to see Stephanie McMahon walking down the hallway towards me, dressed in one of her signature power suits. Now that I think about it, she's come a long way from the first time she appeared in the WWE. Wow . . . it really has been that long.
"Oh . . . Hey Stephanie!" I greet her as she walks up to me. "You're in a good mood today."
"Who wouldn't be? Tonight is the annual Slammy Awards," she tells me with a grin as we walk down the hallway. "I just want to go over the details with you for tonight's ceremony."
"The Championship Ascension Ceremony right?" I ask as we walk by her office.
"That's the one," she tells me with a snap of her fingers. "Twenty previous World Heavyweight and WWE champions will be gathered in the ring. Hunter and I will then come down the ramp, then you and Randy, and then finally John and Nikki. Words will be shared between the two champions as they attach their belts to the ascender. John will have the last word before Randy goes in for a cheap shot. You, Nikki, and I will stand to the side as the other guys will break the fight. Randy will get in Punk's face out of anger and Punk will take offence to that. Hunter will take offence to that, Punk strikes back, Shawn strikes afterwards, Daniel will strike, Randy will go after him, but Daniel will push him into me while Hunter's not looking, and then the show will end with everyone looking confused about what the hell just happened, making the WWE Universe uncertain about what will happen at the TLC pay-per-view in a few days."
"This skit will leave the people guessing for sure." I tell her with a chuckle as I cross my arms.
"I know . . . The suspense is what I'm definitely going for. The suspense will help make the match Sunday that much more interesting," she tells me with a sneaky look on her face. "By the way, have you seen Hunter anywhere? I haven't seen him all afternoon."
"I saw him talking to Randy and John out near the parking lot a few minutes ago," I tell her as I point down the hallway that led to the lot.
"Thanks! See you out there for the ceremony!" And with that, she ran at vampire speed down the hall, sending a gush of wind straight to my face.
"Vampire speed . . . I'll never get used to that. . . Ever." I mumble to myself as I walked over to the place I was supposed to meet the Viper: his locker room. Knowing he wouldn't be back for a few more minutes, I let myself in and got comfy on his couch, stretching my legs across the cushions as I turned on the TV, changing the channel just in time to see the first Slammy of the night given out. I got through most of the program before I heard Randy's loud voice yell from down the hall. Who knows what took him so long?
"No! Tell Neil that Amanda and I are not going to let you guys use our relationship in a story line. No means no!"
Randy opens the door and walks into the room, managing to stop himself from chuckling his title belt at my head once he saw me lay out across his couch.
"Creative is hounding you I see." I tell him wide eyed, a little jumpy since Randy was this close to throwing his championship belt straight at my skull. The belt was barely out of his hand before he recovered just in time and stopped himself.
"Yeah . . . they think they can bring in a lot more viewers if we use our relationship in a storyline, even though we already told them no," he tells me in a tired tone as he walks over to my side. "Sorry for almost throwing this belt at your head. I thought you were meeting me at the door."
"Eh . . . I decided to let myself in." I tell him with a shrug as I checked my watch. "We got to get moving anyway. The Championship Ascension Ceremony is starting in a couple of minutes."
"Crap . . . I completely forgot about that," he mutters to me as he leans down to my neck, "I was hoping to have a little fun before then."
"You can have your fun afterward, but right now, we have a ceremony to get to." I tell him as I slap his chest. He shoots me a wounded look before helping me on to my feet. We walk out of the room and down the hall to the gorilla position to see John and Nikki already there watching the screen, Hunter and Stephanie and some of the greats and some of the usual guys on the roster already standing in the ring.
"You guys are just in time." John tells us with a smirk as Barry signals for me and Randy to walk out.
"You're telling us!" Randy tells him with a smirk as he leads me out through the curtain. His them song plays as we walk out into the open for all of the WWE Universe to see. Most of the men in the ring send Randy dirty looks as he hoists the WWE title belt in the air as we walk down the ramp. Stephanie is smiling the entire time. And Hunter . . . well, there's something about him that's a little off to me today. Randy and I walk up the steel steps and enter the ring just as John's theme song began to play. He and Nikki walk down the ramp arm and arm, but I quickly move my attention to Hunter, who is stone faced for the entire duration. I'm just sensing this negative vibe from him and I can't seem to put my finger on it.
I turn to the others in the ring to see that practically everyone's faces don't seem to detect anything off, even Randy and Steph. The only one that I notice looking wary is Punk. He sneaks a couple of looks at Hunter before turning to me. We lock eyes and I slightly nod my head at Hunter. He nods his head once in understanding, both of us knowing that it was unwise to telepathically speak with each other with fellow psychic Hunter in the same ring as us.
By the time I bring my thoughts back to the scene before me, Randy and John were already exchanging words with each other. John finished his last line before Randy went in for the scripted cheap shot. After that, absolute bedlam ensued. Nikki, Steph, and I moved out the way as the men fought. Finishers were exchanged and Randy went to RKO Daniel, but he got pushed into Stephanie, sending her down to the mat, as said in the script.
Hunter turned to see his wife laid out on the ground while Randy looked on in shock. Now . . . all we had to do was look just as shocked to end the show. But . . .
Apparently, Hunter had a change of plans.
Normal POV
Hunter's face turned to that of anger as he stared at his wife, his eyes going straight to Randy as he balled his fists in absolute . . . hatred.
"Calm down Hunter! What are you doing? You're not following the script!" Randy thought to Hunter as he continued to look shock at the scene before him. Hunter paid the message no mind as he suddenly struck Randy in the head and grabbed him for the Pedigree, sending the Viper down to the mat with a sharp thud. Amanda quickly went over to Randy's side as the Viper looked up dazed and confused to see John and Nikki looking on in real shock while Stephanie was trying to calm down her husband. The crowd was practically eating it up as Raw came to a close. Once the camera crew gave the signal that we were now off the air, Hunter broke free from Stephanie, got out the ring, and stormed up the ramp, leaving the rest of us utterly confused.
"Hunter!" yelled Stephanie as she climbed out the ring and ran after him. John and Nikki shot each other confused glances before getting out the ring themselves and following the fellow power couple, leaving Randy and Amanda to themselves in the ring as the crowd began to disperse from the stands to head for the exits.
"Randy, are you okay?" Amanda asked the Viper as he slowly sat up next to her, his face still looking slightly confused.
"Yeah . . . I'll be fine," muttered the Viper as a scowl crept across his face. "I'm just pissed that Hunter didn't follow the damn script. He Pedigreed me to the fucking mat! He could have at least given me a heads up!"
"I know . . . I sensed something off about Hunter, but I kept myself shut so he wouldn't detect my suspicions." muttered Amanda as she turned to the ramp.
"Something off?" asked Randy as he jumped back to his feet. "What do you mean by that?"
"I just got this negative vibe from him," she told him as he helped her to her feet. "I don't know how to describe it to tell you the truth."
"I see . . . I guess we just have to pay our friend a little visit now to get some answers." Randy told her with a smirk as held the ropes open for her. Amanda smirked at him as she exited the ring through his makeshift opening, him following her back up the ramp and into the backstage area.
"I don't like this feeling I'm getting . . ." Randy muttered as they walked down the hallway, the hallway void of all life for the moment.
"I know . . . it's like there's a sudden chill in the air," Amanda answered back as the two turned the corner. "You think Roman is messing with the air conditioning again?"
"Who knows?" replied Randy as he crossed his arms. The two looked up to see John walking toward them with an unsure look on his face, his eyes looking slightly conflicted as he crossed his arms.
"Hunter's gone . . ."
"What?" asked Randy as he raised an eyebrow. "What do you means Hunter's gone?"
"When I say Hunter's gone, I mean he went straight to the parking lot and drove away from the area gone." said John as he shook his head.
"He left alone? He left Stephanie behind?" asked Amanda as she began to comb her fingers through her hair.
"Yep; she was calling after him as she followed him all the way to the parking lot, but he never answered her once. He just gave her the cold shoulder and left." answered John as the three began to walk toward the locker rooms.
"That's not typical Hunter behavior," muttered Randy as he put a hand underneath his chin. "I know Stephanie can be a pain sometimes, but he's never gone this far to actually leave her stranded like this."
"I know . . . And Hunter was acting just fine when we were speaking to him a few hours ago." added John. "Amanda, what do you think?"
The Cenation leader got no answer. Randy let out a small sigh and turned left to see that Amanda was not walking right next to him. Both he and John then turned around to see Amanda about fifteen feet behind him, her eyes moving rapidly as she stood perfectly still in her spot.
"Randy, her eyes moving like that is not normal is it?" asked John as Randy quickly walked back over to his mate's side.
"Not at all," Randy bluntly muttered as he abruptly turned his head, his ears perking up when he heard a few human stagehands' voices growing louder down the hallway. "Humans are coming this way."
"Now?" asked John in slight surprise. "We can't let them see Amanda in this state. They'll grow suspicious."
"I know that!" Randy exclaimed back as he turned to his friend. "That's why we need to move her."
"Fireman's carry or bridal style?" asked John, his voice easily hinting that he was joking. Randy shot him a narrowed eyes look before picking up Amanda in his arms and running down the hallway with John running right behind him. The two turned the corner and went into Randy's locker room, where he set Amanda down on the couch, her eyes still rapidly moving back and forth.
"Okay . . . what do we do now?" asked John as he looked at Randy with a questionable look.
"We wait . . . she'll eventually snap out of it. She always does." answered Randy as he began to slowly pace around the room. John took his word for it and decided to watch TV while they wait. As soon as he reached for the remote, Amanda let out a sharp gasp as her eyes began to rapidly blink. John was scared stiff as soon as he heard the sound, but Randy was at her side in an instant.
"'Manda . . ." asked Randy as he knelt down beside her. Amanda turned to him in response as she caught her breath, her eyes looking slightly wary as her stare bore into Randy's own. ". . . Are you okay?"
"I'm fine . . ." she told him as she slowly stood up. "But Hunter's not."
"Of course he's not fine," muttered John as he cracked his knuckles. "He forgot the script and then pulled an Elvis and left the building."
"I'm talking about the real Hunter." Amanda told them bluntly as she walked over to the door. Randy and John exchanged confused glances before turning back toward the psychic, who was already out the door. They quickly followed after her, making their way through the crowded hallway filled with stagehands preparing to take down the ring.
"What do you mean the 'real Hunter'?" asked Randy as the three turned the corner into a dimly lit hallway.
"It's exactly what I mean Randy," answered Amanda as she crossed her arms. "The Hunter that you guys spoke with in the parking lot and the Hunter that was in the ring with us tonight were two different people. The Hunter that left is a fake; he was an imposter. . . We were all played."
"If that's the damn case, then where is the real Hunter!" cried John as the three slowed their pace.
"In there . . ." whispered Randy, catching Hunter's scent in an instant. He pointed to a black door that was on their left. John instantly went for the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.
"It's locked," muttered John as he pulled up his sleeve. He hit the door shoulder first and broke it off its hinges, practically falling into the room. "Ouch."
"You'll be fine." Randy answered him blankly as he stepped into the room. He looked up and went wide eyed at what he saw in the far corner of the small room.
"Randy, John, anything?" asked Amanda as she walked inside. She too went wide eyed as she looked at the corner. And who could blame her . . .
Hunter was slumped on the ground unconscious as blood dripped from the side of his mouth. A small syringe lay right next to him.
"Is he . . ." mumbled John as he got back up to his feet.
"He's not dead," answered Randy as he let a relieved sigh pass his lips. "I can hear his heart. It's beating."
"Oh . . . that's good." mumbled John as Randy walked over to the out cold Helmsley. He knelt down to his face and sniffed his breath, instantly scrunching up his face in disgust as soon as he took a whiff.
"Bad breath?" mumbled Amanda as she walked over to her mate's side.
"You can say that," mumbled Randy as he picked up the syringe. "He's been drugged."
"Wait a darn second . . ." mumbled John as he walked up to the two. "Seriously . . . vampires can get drugged?"
"If the drug is mixed with a very serious type of vervain, then yes. Vampires can be drugged." answered Randy as he turned the syringe in his hands.
"That fake Hunter must have somehow led this Hunter into this room and drugged him before taking his place tonight," mumbled Amanda as she put the pieces together. "It could have been Kurt."
"Wait . . . you didn't read fake Hunter's mind?" asked John as he turned to her.
"Kurt's not just any shapeshifter John," mumbled Amanda as she put her hands in her pockets. "Not only can he take the form of any person or animal, but he can copy their abilities as well, from mental gifts to physical powers. And you know how Hunter is. People who have known him for years know that he has a mental sensor in his head. As soon as the sensor activates, his mind closes up instantly. Even I can't get through his defenses, and I have tried time and time before. Trust me."
"She's right John," mumbled Randy as he crossed his arms. "Kurt was one of those people that knew about Hunter's sensor. And knowing his power, he could have easily copied it. There was no way for either 'Manda, or Punk, to know if the Hunter in the ring was the real one or not."
"Shit . . . you make a good point," mumbled John as he adjusted his cap. "So . . . who wants to tell Stephanie that her husband was in here unconscious all this time?"
"We don't need to," mumbled Amanda as she turned toward the doorway. "She already knows."
John and Randy looked up to see Stephanie standing in the doorway, her face filed with shock as she stared at her fallen husband.
". . . How much did you hear?" asked Randy as he raised an eyebrow at the female McMahon.
"Everything." muttered Stephanie, her voice barely a whisper. "I was looking for you guys so we can discuss the plans for TLC when I showed up here. . . Are you sure he's just drugged?"
"If he was ever physically injured, it's healed by now," answered Randy as he held up the syringe he was holding. "This syringe was filled with a mixture that contained vervain. Who knows how much is still in his systems?"
"I'm . . . guessing . . . a small amount."
Everyone abruptly turned to where the sound of the voice came from. They looked down to see Hunter staring at them as he continued to shallowly breathe through his mouth.
"Oh . . . Hunter, are you okay?" asked Stephanie as she quickly went over to his side.
"I'll be fine, but can someone please explain to me what happened while I was out?" asked the Cerebral Assassin as Stephanie helped him into a sitting position.
"Oh . . . nothing special really," muttered John as he shrugged his shoulders. "You just missed a fake Hunter playing you during Raw who then Pedigreed Randy to the mat during the Championship Ascension Ceremony."
"Shit . . . You got Pedigreed?" asked Hunter as he turned to Randy. ". . . By someone other than me?"
"Shocking isn't it," muttered Randy, the memory still fresh in his mind. "As soon as Raw went off the air, the imposter left the arena. No one knows where he is."
"Well that's great," muttered Hunter as he crossed his arms.
"Now it's your turn," muttered Amanda as she raised an eyebrow. "How did the faker get you here?"
"It's a bit of a blur . . . but I remember most of what happened," muttered Hunter as he placed a hand under his chin. "I was heading toward my office when just up ahead of me in the hallway, I saw, out of all people, Kurt Angle."
"KURT ANGLE?" asked Amanda, Randy, and John in total disbelief.
"Yep; I called out to him, but he didn't respond. So . . . I followed after him to see what he was up to. I followed after him into the hallway outside the door, when I felt a needle stab me in the neck from behind. Everything went black after that . . . and the next thing I know, I wake up in this room with you all surrounding me."
"Why would Kurt go this far to portray you during tonight's Raw?" asked John as he scratched the back of his head.
"He was sending me a message,"
"Pardon me Orton?" asked Stephanie as she turned to the Viper, who had a hard glare on his face. "Sending you a message?"
"Think about it," muttered Randy as he started to pace around the room. "I got attacked by a guy with a shaven head days ago. Then tonight, 'Fake Hunter' comes and strikes me with a Pedigree. With those two attacks in a small amount of time, Kurt's sending me a message no doubt about it. "
"Hmm . . . Orton makes a convincing point," muttered John as he looked away. "But what about all these weird visions and mental messages workers here have been getting these past few weeks? How would you explain that?"
"I . . . haven't figured that out yet." muttered Randy as he put his hands on his hips.
"Wait a second . . . One big factor is missing: motive," muttered Amanda as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why would Kurt want to target Randy in the first place?"
"Have you seen this guy?" asked John bluntly as he pointed to the Apex Predator. "This guy can make a baby his enemy in less than five seconds flat.
Randy narrowed his eyes at John while Stephanie and Hunter tried to hold back a chuckle. John held up his hands in surrender, showing Randy that he didn't mean know harm.
"Low blow, John, low blow." muttered Randy as he shook his head disapprovingly.
"No offense Randy, but you're just one of those guys that can make enemies very easily. Hell, when we first met in the OVW, I instantly hated you as soon as you walked into the room." said John as he sent the Viper a deadpan look.
"As soon as he walked into the room? Wow . . . you hated him faster than I did," said Hunter with a small chuckle. "I hated him as soon as we had our first conversation with each other."
"What is this? Bash Orton Night?" asked Randy as he raised an eyebrow.
"YES!" exclaimed Hunter and John as they turned to him with grins on their faces.
"'Manda, you've known Randy longer than any of us. I bet you hated him for a time before you became friends." said Hunter with a chuckle as he pointed to the psychic.
"I'm outta here." muttered Randy as he walked out the room.
"Well aren't you sensitive!" called Hunter as he turned to the exit.
"HEARD THAT!" yelled Randy.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO!" Hunter yelled back as he crossed his arms.
"Way to turn a serious situation funny for your benefit Hunter." mumbled Amanda as she walked out the room. Hunter chuckled as he watched her leave before turning to Steph and John.
"Hey . . . they don't call me the Cerebral Assassin for nothing."
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